Posted: Sun, Oct 22, 2017, 11:22 AM ET (1522 GMT)
NOAA and Taiwan's science ministry have cancelled plans to develop a second set of next-generation GPS radio occultation weather satellites. NOAA and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan signed a joint memo earlier this month stating that they would no longer pursue plans for the six COSMIC-2B satellites. Those satellites would have operated in high-inclination orbits, similar to the existing COSMIC satellites launched more than a decade ago. Both countries struggled to line up funding for the satellites, which would not have launched before 2021. The agencies are continuing with the six COSMIC-2A satellites, scheduled for launch into low-inclination orbits next year on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.